The present disclosure relates, in general, to the manufacture of packaging or containers that may be readily used to transport product and/or display the contents of the containers following delivery to a customer.
Suppliers of containers or container pre-assemblies are being pushed by retailers to supply containers or packaging that is dual purpose. The containers need to be able to be shipped and carry product safely to a store. The containers then must be easily converted, without any knives or tools, into a display case that can be easily placed on a shelf. The challenge is remaining cost effective, especially when the supplier may be currently utilizing just a standard brown box shipping container.
A basis of the container pre-assembly and the container of present disclosure thus includes a one-piece blank that can withstand the stress of shipping while also meeting the needs of a container that includes a display feature for the retail environment.
As suggested above, various packages and containers are conventionally provided for transporting product to and storing product in a retail environment and for ultimate display to prospective customers, such as consumers. As is conventionally known in the packaging industry, such containers can be transported to manufacturing and/or retail environments for display in knock-down form, that is, in a flattened condition known as a pre-assembly, but otherwise having panels of the flattened pre-assembly being glued, stapled or otherwise affixed or joined together such that the panels are substantially in a pre-assembled state. In such a pre-assembled or knock-down state, personnel assembling or erecting the container need only open, or spread apart selected panels of the container and affix two or more of the panels together into an assembled condition of the container. Such final assembly of the container is performed prior to loading a selected product into the container. The product that is placed into the resulting assembled container may then be shipped to a wholesaler's or retailer's location. After the product is loaded into the container, the container may be ready for shipment and display or may have portions of the container needing to be removed in order to be ready for display.
Conventionally, the top of container may be closed and sealed by sequentially overlapping the top panels or by the use of tape or glue, for example, to adhere the top panel or panels to each other or to other panels of the container.
According to the present disclosure, a container pre-assembly and a container, as well as a method for manufacturing the container pre-assembly and the container, includes a blank having a plurality of panels. The plurality of panels includes a combination panel that is configured to be rotated and folded such that selected panels of the combination panel, such as, for example, a panel that may be considered conventionally as a front panel and a panel that may be conventionally considered as at least one of the top panels, respectively, switch positions to form one of the top panels and to form a portion of a front panel, respectively. Both of those “switched” panels are configured to be ultimately torn away as a tear-out section from the assembled container, for example, at the retail environment, to provide access to product located in an interior of the assembled container.
In accordance with illustrated embodiments, a method of manufacturing a container and the resulting container, and a method of manufacturing an associated container pre-assembly and the resulting container pre-assembly, as well as the blank, are disclosed herein. When the methods and the blank are utilized as disclosed herein, it results in container pre-assemblies and containers having an interior formed by the blank, which blank serves also as an exterior of the assembled container. The interior of the container may include a divider member.
Thus, one of the key features of embodiments of the present disclosure (see FIGS. 1-48) includes a blank that includes a combination panel. The combination panel includes a top panel, portions of panels designated as front panels, end areas, and tab portions. The combination panel may also include top panel tabs. An advantageous feature of the combination panel is that it is configured to rotate about hinge lines or score lines which rotation causes what would conventionally be considered as a top panel of a container (see panel and its position on the blank in FIG. 2 to convert into a front panel and thus is designated herein as a third portion of the front panel (see FIG. 4). Similarly, the rotation of the combination panel causes what would conventionally be considered as a front panel of a container, see panel and its position on the blank in FIG. 2, to convert into a top panel and thus is designated herein as a second top panel (See FIG. 4). This simple advantage of rotating the combination panel and the placement of selected panels, end areas, and tab portions provides for a tear-out section (see FIGS. 11 and 12A-12C, for example) that allows access to the product in the container, provides for a reinforced remaining front panel portions, and hides perforation edges after the tear-out section is separated from the container.
Other features of embodiments of the present disclosure, as noted above, include the window tear-out section that provides access to an interior of the container for the ultimate purchaser of the product displayed in the container. In addition, perforated edge of the tear-out section is recessed behind a part of the remaining front panel that is left after the tear-out section is separated from the container. Also, other perforated edges of the tear-out section are recessed behind the first and second end areas of the combination panel after the tear-out section is separated at those edges from the container. The recessing of the perforated edges forming recessed portions RP gives the front of the container a clean appearance on, for example, a retailer's shelf. The ragged or torn perforated edges or perforations are not seen by the consumer.
Additional features of embodiments of the present disclosure include the first top panel configured and acting as a stacking support so that multiple containers can be vertically stacked upon one another even after the tear-out section is separated from the containers. Also, there is the advantageous feature of the remaining front panels, after the tear-out section is removed, being reinforced as a result of the combination panel being rotated on the blank such that the first and second portions of the front panel are adhered to each other during manufacturing of the container pre-assembly.
A more complete understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure and the utility thereof may be acquired by referring to the following in consideration of the accompanying drawings and the description of the embodiments. Generally, in the drawings and the description, like reference numbers indicate like features.
In the FIGS. 1-48, the lines shown separating or connecting various panels, end areas, panel portions, and tabs may be considered as fold lines, score lines, hinge lines and/or perforated lines or edges.
Other aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following descriptions when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.